Time flies.
It seems like barely an hour ago since we all popped our champagne bottles to celebrate the New Year – and already four days have passed. We have all returned to work and most schools will be reopening their doors on Monday.
The year that has just started will be remembered for two things – the introduction of the new currency, the euro, which has replaced the lira, and the election which will determine the new government for the next five years.
By the time we celebrate the start of 2009, hopefully we will have got used to the new notes and coins, and the lira will be a distant memory. It will take us some time, but the problems we are experiencing these days will be washed away shortly, particularly if we manage to think in euros and stop converting them back to the Maltese lira.
By that time too, we will have a new government. Whether we will still have Lawrence Gonzi as Prime Minister, albeit with a new team, or whether Alfred Sant will lead the Malta Labour Party to a victory is anyone’s guess.
The two issues – the euro and the election – are intrinsically linked. This is because the effects of the euro introduction on inflation, perceived or real, will play an important part in the way people think.
Naturally, the government – any government – gets the blame for any increase in the cost of living, when ultimately it is the market forces or, in this case, abuses by a section of businessmen who do
not adhere to established criteria, which lead to inflation.
The government can have all its price control machinery in place, but it is impossible to monitor each and every situation. Unless people phone in to complain, the National Euro Changeover Committee will not be able to take action against traders who are exploiting the situation. And, let’s face it, most of us do not bother to phone 154 for a few euro cents difference – but then, if we don’t, we should not blame the government for the increase because we would have played our part in not controlling it.
If, for example, we accept to buy cheesecakes at 25 euro cents when previously we used to pay 10 cents (which are equivalent to 23 euro cents), then we would be contributing to the inflation that we so strongly complain about.
Therefore, while the government, through the NECC, should do all it can to see that the changeover from the lira to the euro does not lead to inflation, at the same time we must all help in this regard. Or else stop complaining about it.
We have yet to learn the date of the 2008 election, but we will probably not have to wait very long. The people will then have to make an important choice – one that could be a decision for continuity or one that shifts the balance of power.
In a lighter vein, 2008 will be the year of another type of euro – the Euro football championships that will be played in Austria and Switzerland in June. Still, with the absence of England, which failed to qualify, it will be a toned-down affair for us Maltese. Naturally, all the England fans can hope for is that Italy do not win, while for the “Italian” supporters, winning without the presence of England will remove most of the fun.
This competition will be followed by the Olympic Games, which China will be hosting in August. It is a tough challenge for a country of great history. China has been preparing for these games for the past seven years, and will leave no stone unturned to make sure that they are the greatest Olympics ever to be organised.